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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Benson (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Benson. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Benson is located in Swift County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Minnesota's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Swift County: Big Stone, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Pope & Stevens.

Below are the counties that are near Benson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Benson:

  • Swift County     (The home county of Benson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Clontarf
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clontarf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clontarf
      • Clontarf is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clontarf <2>
    • De Graff
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Graff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Graff
      • De Graff is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Danvers
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danvers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Danvers is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
    • Swift Falls
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swift Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift Falls
      • Swift Falls is located in Swift County
    • Murdock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murdock
      • Murdock is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
    • Holloway
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holloway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
      • Holloway is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
    • Kerkhoven
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kerkhoven have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerkhoven
      • Kerkhoven is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 696 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kerkhoven <2>
    • Appleton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Appleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
      • Appleton is located in Swift County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,311 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Appleton <2>
  • Big Stone County
    • Correll
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Correll have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Correll
      • Correll is located in Big Stone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
  • Chippewa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Big Bend City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Bend City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend City
      • Big Bend City is located in Chippewa County
    • Milan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Watson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
      • Watson is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <2>
    • Montevideo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Clara City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clara City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clara City
      • Clara City is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clara City <2>
    • Maynard
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maynard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
      • Maynard is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maynard <2>
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Sunburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunburg
      • Sunburg is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
    • Pennock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pennock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennock
      • Pennock is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 509 people
    • Raymond
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymond <2>
    • Willmar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Wilmar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmar
      • Wilmar is located in Kandiyohi County
  • Lac qui Parle County
    • Louisburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
      • Louisburg is located in Lac qui Parle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • New Prairie ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Prairie
      • New Prairie is located in Pope County
    • Starbuck
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Cyrus
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cyrus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cyrus
      • Cyrus is located in Pope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 274 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cyrus <2>
    • Long Beach
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Beach
      • Long Beach is located in Pope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 417 people
    • Glenwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sedan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sedan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
      • Sedan is located in Pope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
    • Lowry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
      • Lowry is located in Pope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 301 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lowry <2>
    • Grove Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grove Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Lake
      • Grove Lake is located in Pope County
    • Farwell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farwell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
      • Farwell is located in Pope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Brooten
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooten have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooten
      • Brooten is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 750 people
    • Belgrade
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belgrade have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgrade
      • Belgrade is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
  • Stevens County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Hancock
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Morris
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Alberta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
      • Alberta is located in Stevens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Benson, see our County-by-County Page for Benson.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Benson ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 96 newspapers that have been published in the area around Benson.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Benson. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Benson and those printed in the larger area surrounding Benson.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Benson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Benson:

Cemeteries Near Benson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Benson.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Benson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.

  • Our Redeemer Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Redeemer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Redeemer Cemetery
  • Benson City Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Benson City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benson City Cemetery
  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Erickson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Erickson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Erickson Cemetery
  • Six Mile Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Six Mile Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Six Mile Grove Cemetery
  • Lake Hazel Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake Hazel Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Hazel Lutheran Cemetery
  • St. Malachy Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Malachy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Malachy Cemetery
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
  • Molin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Molin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Molin Cemetery
  • St. Bridget Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Bridget Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Bridget Cemetery
  • St. Pauli Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauli Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauli Cemetery
  • West Bank Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Bank Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Bank Cemetery
  • Continue List   (159 more) ...
    • Big Bend Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Bend Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Bend Cemetery
    • Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery
    • Swift Falls Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swift Falls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swift Falls Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Benson had a population of 877 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Benson had a population of 2,999 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.

  • Clontarf
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clontarf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clontarf
    • Clontarf is located in Swift County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clontarf <2>
  • Danvers
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danvers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
    • Danvers is located in Swift County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
  • De Graff
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Graff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Graff
    • De Graff is located in Swift County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
  • Swift Falls
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swift Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift Falls
    • Swift Falls is located in Swift County
  • Murdock
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murdock
    • Murdock is located in Swift County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
  • Hagan
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hagan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagan
    • Hagan is located in Chippewa County
  • Holloway
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holloway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
    • Holloway is located in Swift County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
  • Hancock
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Louriston
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louriston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louriston
    • Louriston is located in Chippewa County
  • Kerkhoven
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kerkhoven have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerkhoven
    • Kerkhoven is located in Swift County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 696 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kerkhoven <2>
  • Sunburg
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunburg
    • Sunburg is located in Kandiyohi County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
  • Fairfield
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
    • Fairfield is located in Swift County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Terrace
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrace
      • Terrace is located in Pope County
    • Milan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Starbuck
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Benson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Benson.

The official website for Benson: www.bensonmn.org/

The official website for Swift County: www.swiftcounty.com/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Benson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Benson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.3148, Longitude: -95.6017    
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Benson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024